Disapproval
by bubbles799
Summary: Can Rachel prove herself to Grace after a tragic wave of events?
1. Early Morning Call

_**Alright, I have never written a fiction for any show other than Sea Patrol before so I have no idea what I'm doing. I really don't. Please read and leave a comment/review. I appreciate it.**_

_**Disclaimer: **__I own none of the Packed to the Rafters characters. _

It was early in the morning when Rachel got the call. She barely had time to open her eyes before registering the caller on her mobile.

"Jake? It's 2.30 in the morning," said Rachel with a yawn, wondering what on earth he was doing calling her this early in the morning. Currently, there was nothing happening between the duo after Rachel had an altercation with Jake's mother. And Jake, being the ever-so-brilliant son that he was, instantly took Mum's side. But still, Rachel took the call, knowing there was no way she could ignore his call without spending the next week dwelling over what he was calling her about. But nothing would have prepared her for what was next.

"Oh god..." whispered Rachel to herself as the words registered. She flung back her blankets, the cool metal of her phone still pressed firmly against her ear as she quickly grabbed her jacket, not even bothering to change out of her pyjamas. Her sleep addled brain couldn't even register finding any shoes, so slipped on the only pair she could see in front of her. Padding quickly down the hall a minute later in her fluffy pink slippers, Rachel was a mess as she tried to find the keys to her little red Beetle.

"Where are you, where are you, where are you!" spoke Rachel quietly as she shifted some papers from the computer desk in the hope of finding her keys. Her voice grew more aggravated with each word she spoke.

"Sweetheart what are you doing at 2.30 in the morning?" asked Ted as he came into the kitchen. Rachel looked up at her grandad, tears pooling in her eyes as she stared at him. She raced over and wrapped her arms around him, grateful for the familiarity and warmth.

"Grandad," was all Ted was able to understand from his granddaughter's words, her voice muffled by tears. He finally pulled her back gently, looking deeply into her eyes.

"Rachel, just slow down and tell me," Ted told Rachel reassuringly. She took a deep breath before spilling all to him. As she finished, Ted nodded his head.

"I can't believe how much this has gotten to me," said Rachel finally, sniffling and wiping the tears from her cheeks and under her eyes. Ted smiled.

"I can." Rachel looked up at her grandad and from his face, knew what he was thinking. She gave a small, subconscious laugh.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Come on then, I'll take you," said Ted, gently turning Rachel around with one hand on her shoulder. As he guided her out the front door of the Rafter house, he reached for his keys, which were hanging on the hook near the fridge with a cluster of other keys; Dave's car, work and house keys; Julie's keys; Sammy and Nathan's car and house keys; even Ben's spare keys, having given his parents a set due to the amount of times he'd locked himself out of his house and car. And finally, Rachel's keys to the Rafter house and her little red Beetle. The only place she hadn't looked.

_**What do you think? This chapter was very short, I know. When I write my Sea Patrol fictions, especially "Underlying Facts," my chapters are more like 1,500 words – 2000 words. So they will get longer, I promise. I just wanted to introduce the first part. **_

_**I can't guarantee how often this will be updated. This is an extra fiction I've started, (which I really should because I already have one Sea Patrol one on the go and more about to start) and I am very, very busy. So this might not be updated daily. Sorry. But hit the review button below and let me know what you think. **_


	2. Morning Wait

_**Finally, an update! I did say it would take me a while.*Shrug* Like I said, I'm busy. I' am still unsure as to why I even contemplated starting another fiction when I have so much on my plate and I still have my Sea Patrol fics. But anyhow...**_

_**Thanks to those that reviewed the first part. It made my day and encouraged me to write more. Thank you so much.**_

About twenty minutes, which felt like twenty hours to Rachel, her Grandfather's Camry finally pulled into the parking lots at Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital. Barely even closing the door, Rachel launched herself out of the passenger seat before Ted had even turned the car off.

"Rachel!" called out Ted, watching as his oldest and only granddaughter began to hurry off. She didn't even hesitate at her name being called. He hurried in her path, watching as she hurried towards the entrance, still in her fluffy pink slippers and pyjamas, not that she seemed to care. Just short of the sliding entrance doors, Rachel stopped, allowing Ted the chance to finally catch up to her. He caught up to her and expected her to continue on, but she didn't, as if she was frozen to the spot. "Are we going to go in?" prompted Ted. Rachel just stayed frozen.

"What if I don't want to see him," said Rachel suddenly. It was like her whole body was frozen; legs, arms, face, head, body; all stuck on the same spot.

"You're the one that's been moping about him for weeks!" Ted told her.

"No, I mean, like that," jumped in Rachel quickly, facing her beloved grandad. Ted thought for a moment, wanting to choose his words carefully before answering.

"And if you don't go, you'll regret it for the rest of your life." With Rachel's current blank expression, it suggested she was absorbing and processing exactly what Ted was saying to her. Suddenly she turned as if she was going to walk away quickly. Ted instantly reached out to catch her arm, knowing if she walked away now, she'd never forgive herself.

"I can't Grandad," her voice barely a whisper as she said the words. He could tell she was on the verge of breaking down.

"Rachel, when someone you love needs you, no matter how hard it is for you, you have to be there for them. It's what you do when you love someone," Ted told her, dwelling on his own experiences, not that he told his distraught granddaughter that. "Rachel," he prompted again when she didn't move.

"His mum wouldn't want me there," replied Rachel distantly, appearing to be miles away in thought. "I have to respect that."

"Stop procrastinating and go! Jake wouldn't have called you if he didn't want you here!" His last words registered in her head and she turned slowly to face him, tears streaking her face.

"He didn't call me; the police did." Ted realised what he had said and tilted his head, pulling his granddaughter into a hug as she began to cry. They stood there for minutes, the early morning breeze not even affecting them. Finally, feeling composed enough, Rachel pulled back and looked up at her grandad. "I don't think I'm strong enough."

"You? Not strong enough? We are talking about my granddaughter here, aren't we? And I know how strong she is," replied Ted, thinking mainly back to Rachel's past experiences, mainly caused by her ex, Daniel. "And unfortunately sweetheart, there are times like these were you just have to step up and be strong enough, even if we feel too weak to do so." Rachel nodded and Ted slowly pulled her away, the two figures guiding their way through the cool night.

_0600am, Royal North Shore Hospital_

At 6am, Rachel and Ted were still waiting. They had asked countless passing doctors and nurses for updates or to be allowed to see the patient but no one had seemed to know anything, frustrating an already agitated Rachel. Sitting on the seat along a long corridor, the first flecks of the morning light appearing through the windows and landing on both Ted and Rachel's faces, Rachel had her head in her hands while Ted was leaning back deeply against the chair.

"Rachel? Ted?" Both Rachel and Ted looked up at hearing their names, spotting Melissa walking towards them down the corridor. At the sight of her brother's girlfriend coming closer, Rachel jumped up, depending upon her friend for answers to the questions she was so desperately waiting for.

"Mel, you'll tell me. Where's Jake? Is... Is he okay?" Rachel pounced on poor Melissa, taking the nurse by surprise.

"You know about Jake?" was Melissa's response.

"The police called," Rachel replied quickly. "I was the first number in Jake's call listings. But look, is he okay?"

"Rachel, you know I can't..."

"Please Mel!" interrupted a desperate Rachel. "I need to know." Melissa looked around slightly, as if to see no one was watching.

"He was brought in earlier. He and his mum need surgery. His brother is asleep," replied Melissa, her voice dropping largely so that no one even had the slightest chance of hearing.

"Surgery!" exclaimed Rachel. Melissa grabbed her arm.

"Shhh! Okay, it's all I know," she told Rachel, who was running a hand through her un-brushed hair. She was clearly distressed.

"Rachel, calm down," added Ted, noticing just how stressed she was at this time.

"Calm down?" replied Rachel, her voice lowered. "How can I calm down?"

"Rachel? Rachel," called Mel, pulling on Rachel's arm to make her face her again. "I've just finished my shift okay? I'm going to go home for a bit and then I'll come back. But I'll ask the receptionist to keep you informed. Alright?" Melissa was searching Rachel's face for an answer as she waited for Rachel's response. Eventually, Rachel nodded slowly.

"Thanks Mel," she replied, wiping her cheeks. Mel nodded, patting her arm before heading off, leaving Rachel to take a seat back next to her grandfather.

_0610am, Rafter House_

At the Rafter house, the family were beginning to rise. Dave was awake and in the kitchen, making coffee whilst Nathan emerged from his bedroom. Sammy was in the shower before Julie was awake; knowing she wouldn't be able to get her shower in once Julie awoke from her slumber.

About ten minutes later, Julie was awake and surprisingly in the kitchen, rather than the bathroom. Sammy emerged into the kitchen after he shower, joining the others for coffee and breakfast.

"Hey, where's Rachel?" she asked, stealing a piece of toast from over her husband's shoulder. Dave turned around from the sink to look at his daughter-in-law.

"Isn't she in her room?" asked Julie, thinking it was slightly odd too for Rachel not to be awake with all of them. Sammy shook her head.

"No, the doors open. I went to ask her something and she was gone," replied Sammy as she swallowed a piece of toast, accepting the coffee Dave handed to her at the same time. "Thanks," she told him, taking a sip. Julie frowned before shrugging.

"Maybe she left for work early," suggested Julie.

"I doubt it," interjected Nathan, spying his sister's keys hanging from the hook. He moved over to pick them up to show the family around him. "Besides, it's only 6.30!" Julie was still for a minute.

"Who knows? It's Rachel we're talking about," she laughed, sitting down. Nathan shrugged, replacing the keys while Sammy sipped her coffee, wondering to herself.

_0630am, Carbo, Ben and Melissa's house_

Ben was still asleep at this time. For once, Carbo was actually awake, in the shower and getting ready early. Melissa climbed the stairs, pushing open Ben's door and finding him still asleep in a tangle of blankets. Mel simply went and sat on the bed which stirred him.

"Ben," Melissa said as she nudged him. He muttered something, clearly still in sleep mode.

"Wake up!" Mel tried again, thumping him harder.

"Oi!" he grumbled, turning over and rubbing his eyes. "What did you do that for?"

"Rachel's at the hospital," she told him, knowing that would get his attention and wake him up properly and pronto. And it did the trick.

"What?" he asked, his voice still husky from sleep as he pulled himself into a sitting position, waking up more as words his sister could be in trouble hit him. "Is she okay?!"

"It was Jake, not her," replied Melissa to calm him down. Ben took a second to collect his thoughts; his mind still sleep addled.

"What happened?" he simply asked, the best sentence he could string together in such a state.

"I'm not sure exactly," replied Mel. Despite knowing she could trust him, she didn't know enough and didn't want to dish out the wrong facts. "But she was pretty distraught."

"I'll bet," replied Ben, rubbing his eyes. "She might not be going out with him at the moment but I know what she feels for him."

"It isn't half obvious," agreed Mel. She nudged him before getting up off the bed to get changed out of her work uniform. Ben too gathered himself, getting out of the bed and making for the clean clothes on the chair he had dumped them on last night; they hadn't quite made the wardrobe yet and it didn't look as if they were going to either.

_0645am, Rafter House_

Julie was sipping her cup of tea, sitting with Sammy as they both glanced over the paper in between them. Dave was on the computer, checking emails whilst Nathan had disappeared to get ready for work. But her resurfaced now, causing the other Rafters to turn their gazes to him when he spoke.

"Where did Grandad go?" Dave looked to Julie at this, not having a clue.

"Maybe he went for a walk," was her reply. Nathan, who was standing near the bench in the kitchen, glanced through the half open kitchen window and then back at the hook he had pulled Rachel's keys from earlier.

"His car's gone," stated Nathan, beginning to wonder why everyone was disappearing this morning. Julie was about to say more when Ben came in through the door.

"There's no milk," jumped in Dave instantly, recognising his son's usual raiding of the fridge and pantry early in the morning and went to put a stop to it before Ben could do anything.

"Hey, what happened to Jake?" asked Ben, standing next to Nathan at the bench, resting his palms down on it. The others looked back at him, not saying anything.

"You tell me," replied Dave, breaking the silence. "First we've heard about it."

"Has something happened?" added Julie. Ben shrugged.

"I thought you'd know! Isn't Rachel at the hospital?" asked Ben, slightly confused at his family's lack of knowledge. Julie frowned.

"We didn't know where she was," stated Julie, thinking deeply. "Anyway, what do you know?"

"Mel just got back from work and said that Rachel was there because something happened to Jake," replied Ben. "She didn't know much either."

"That's probably where Grandad is," reasoned Nathan logically, nodding his head slowly as he spoke.

"I'm going to ring the hospital. And Rachel and Dad," decided Julie, pushing herself up from the sofa. Sammy stood up too, putting her hand on Julie's arm to steady her.

"We've got to go to work. Call us if you hear anything," said Sammy as Julie walked towards the phone. Julie nodded.

"I will. Have a good day."

"Come on, you ready?" asked Sammy, tugging on her husband's sleeve. He nodded, downing the last dribble of his coffee before placing the cup on the sink.

"Yeah. Have to move Rachel's car; she's blocking us in," said Nathan as he turned back around.

"Here I'll do it," offered Ben. Sammy removed her and Nathan's keys from the hook, and also Rachel's, handing them to Ben over her shoulder.

"This is all Rachel needed," said Sammy suddenly as she, Nathan and Ben made their way towards the cars outside.

"Yeah I reckon," agreed Ben, opening the door to his sister's red Beetle and getting in. Sammy climbed into the passenger's side of their car whilst Nathan hopped into the drivers.

"She'll be fine," Nathan told his wife, knowing his sister would cope. He watched in the rear view mirror as Ben reversed Rachel's car out of the driveway and into the street, allowing Nathan plenty of room to reverse his own car out.

As he watched Nathan and Sammy drive off down the road, Ben drove Rachel's Beetle back into the driveway, wondering the whole time whether his sister was okay. After all, this wasn't what she needed.

_**There we go for now. I don't know where this story will lead to. I have a sketchy plan but nothing concrete. Like my story for Sea Patrol "Underlying Facts" turned out completely differently to what I had planned it. And I'm not promising anything on the update side. **_

_**Anyway, please read/review. Much appreciated. **_


	3. News

_**I have managed an update! Those waiting for "Underlying Facts" won't be impressed but I found it easier to write for this story. Currently enjoying a short break with my boyfriend in Canberra/Cairns and I used my relaxing afternoon to update. Hope you like it.**_

_**Thanks must go to quonoeye for commenting on the last chapter. **_

*****

After re-parking his sister's Beetle, Ben went back inside his parents' house, waiting to see if Julie had been able to find out anything more.

"Have you hear..." he was cut off when Dave pointed to Julie, pacing at the other end of the lounge, cordless phone pressed to her ear. Ben shut up quickly, guessing she was either talking to the hospital or her daughter and father.

"Okay..." Julie said, glancing up and seeing her husband and son's eyes both boring into her, so turned her gaze away from them. Ben sighed.

"I'm going home," Ben whispered, loud enough so Dave could hear but not loud enough to disturb Julie. "Let us know what you find out." Dave nodded in agreement, turning to watch his wife as Ben left the kitchen. With Julie taking a while to talk, Dave turned back to the computer screen he was looking at, now checking sporting scores. The phone beeped as Julie hung up a minute later.

"Jake was in an accident last night," said Julie, throwing her hands up to emphasize her point. Dave had now turned to face her.

"Is he alright?" asked Dave slowly, thinking deeply about his worker.

"They wouldn't say anything more other than that he was having surgery this morning," replied Julie, still trying to absorb the information she had been told.

"Surgery?" replied Dave, not quite absorbing the information himself. "Do they know what happened or...?" he couldn't seem to finish the sentence but his wife knew the question.

"Well if they did, they wouldn't tell me," replied Julie, plonking herself down on the chair. Dave came over and leaned on the edge of it.

"Well, how's, how's Rachel?" he asked quietly. Julie shrugged slightly.

"I couldn't get a hold of her. She might have turned her phone off. Dad didn't answer either." Dave nodded. They looked up when they heard footsteps entering the kitchen. Ben and Melissa had just entered the kitchen and approached Dave and Julie.

"Back already?" teased Dave jokingly. Mel smiled before answering.

"Actually, I spoke to the hospital about Jake," she told Dave and Julie. Julie sat up a little straighter.

"They wouldn't tell me anything," said Julie. Mel smiled again.

"Got to be some advantages to working at a hospital. Anyway, apparently Jake, his mother and brother were on their way home last night when a drunk driver cleaned them up," started Mel before Julie added her own question.

"Grace and Alex were in the car?" she asked, having not heard this until now. Melissa nodded.

"Yeah. Grace required surgery and so did Jake. Alex escaped pretty well; few bruises and cuts but he'll be fine. But Jake and Grace had internal bleeds, Grace had to have pins put in her arm and Jake broke his collarbone. That was all they had to tell me," said Melissa. "I don't even know if Rachel knows yet." Julie pushed herself up off the sofa.

"Maybe we should head there," she suggested to Dave. But Ben stepped forward.

"Grandad's there. And Mel and I are going to go; at least Mel will be able to find out more details instead of having to wait." Dave looked to Julie.

"And we'll call you as soon as we hear anything," promised Melissa. Julie kept her face still for another moment before nodding.

"Okay. But you have to promise you'll call if you hear anything," she told them, her voice determined. Both Ben and Mel nodded. Ben stepped forward and hugged his mum.

"Promise. It'll be okay," he reassured her.

_0730am, Royal North Shore Hospital_

Melissa lead Ben into the hospital where she knew Rachel and Ted would be. Sure enough, Ted was sitting on the same seat he had been on earlier. Rachel was standing, one hand pressed against the side of her face as she paced. Ted looked up as he saw his grandson and Melissa approach. Rachel noticed too and looked up.

"Hey Rachel," said Melissa tentatively whilst Ben didn't even say anything, he just went straight up to his sister and wrapped her in a hug. The warm, familiarity of her brother was enough to set Rachel off again.

"Shh," comforted Ben as began with the sobs. The hug was like the one he had given her when she had confided in him about her past with Daniel, yet it was somehow different. While Ben comforted his sister, Melissa sat down next to Ted.

"Have they told you anything?" she asked him quietly. Ted nodded slowly.

"They told us a little while ago that Jake and his mum were having surgery," he replied softly, glancing at his granddaughter as he spoke. Melissa nodded.

"Yeah, that's what they told me too." By now, Rachel had pulled away from Ben and was looking directly at the nurse making her way down the long corridor.

"You're back already Mel?" asked the nurse as she approached the group. Melissa gave her a small smile.

"Tracey, this is Ben, his sister Rachel and their grandfather Ted," introduced Melissa. She turned to the others. "I work with Tracey." Ben nodded while Rachel didn't say anything.

"You're waiting on Jake Barton?" questioned Tracey, remembering seeing Rachel approach the reception area earlier. Ben turned to look at his sister, who nodded.

"Is he okay?" she asked straight away, not being patient enough for Melissa's colleague to say anything more.

"He appears to be doing okay," replied Tracey. "The doctor's are confident that they repaired any internal damage." Rachel sighed and if they didn't know any better, the others would have assumed she was just being dramatic. Ben put an arm around his sister's shoulder as the nurse continued. "Grace appears to be doing okay as well. And Alex is fine apart from a few cuts and scrapes."

"That's great," piped up Ted. Rachel hadn't said anything more, as if she was trying to register everything that had just been said.

"Rach?" prompted Ben, tugging slightly at her shoulders to try and make her speak.

"That's great," she eventually managed. "Since he's okay, we can go now." Ted looked to Mel, who looked to Ben. Rachel began to walk away. Ben took the hint the others were shooting him as well as his own guts instinct. Hurrying along the hospital corridor, he left Melissa, Ted and Tracey behind as he tracked after his sister.

"Rachel!" he called out as he came through the sliding doors of the hospital, out onto the ambulance bays and the car park. Rachel paused slightly at her name, turning slightly to see her brother behind her.

"Ben, we're not even together anymore," she told him before he had the chance to say anything.

"And that matters?" was Ben's reply, finally catching up completely with Rachel.

"He doesn't need me," Rachel tried but she wasn't going to get that by Ben.

"Rachel, you can try and tell us you're fine without him, but you're not getting it past any of us. Least of all me," Ben told her firmly. "You know yourself how much you care about that guy. And when you care about someone, you stand by them." Rachel inhaled a deep breath, registering her brother's words of wisdom. Very similar to the ones Ted had given her just hours earlier.

"Ben, I just..."

"Rachel, just shut up and get back in there!" Ben cut her off. Rachel gave him a small laugh at the tough love approach, hanging her head slightly before nodding. "Good," replied Ben with a smile, turning so they could head back into the hospital. He took one step, assuming she'd follow when she stopped him.

"Ben." Without another word as he turned back, she flung her arms around him. She really couldn't ask for a better brother sometimes.

_0800am, Exterior of Royal North Shore Hospital_

"Apparently they will be," Ben spoke into his mobile phone. "Eventually." He had called his parents' house to let them know what was going on, as promised. Having had his back turned away from the exit doors of the hospital, he hadn't seen someone come up behind him.

"Hey." He turned around at the close voice, phone still pressed against his ear. Seeing Mel, he smiled before continuing to speak.

"Yeah I will. Bye Mum." He pressed the little red telephone on the phone, before turning fully to Melissa.

"You informed your mum?" she asked, although she had already gathered it was Julie on the phone, considering he had ended the call with 'Bye Mum'.

"As promised," he replied. "How's Rachel?" Melissa shrugged.

"She's going in to see him in a minute." Ben nodded, slipping his phone back into his jeans pocket.

"We better go back in then," he replied, placing his arm around Melissa's waist and guiding her back inside the hospital.

Inside the hospital, Rachel was standing, as was Ted. They were waiting for Tracey to return, who had promised she would go and check if it was okay for Rachel to go in and see Jake. Ben and Melissa came back in, reaching Ted and Rachel just a moment before Tracey did.

"Good news. Jake just woke up," she smiled.

"Really?" was Rachel's reply. She was trying not to get too excited, scared her greatest hopes would get crushed. But Tracey nodded, causing her excitement and joy spill over. She sighed and laughed nervously at this.

"Come on then, I'll take you," said Tracey, gently placing her hand on Rachel's elbow. The brunette nurse was a good head shorter than Rachel, despite the heels she was wearing and seemed to be kind and very warm in personality.

"We'll stay here," Ted told Rachel as she and Tracey moved off. Rachel turned her head to glance over her shoulder, smiling before walking further off. Ted sat back down next to Melissa and Ben remained standing in front of the seat.

Tracey led Rachel to a room off the corridor. The white door was almost completely closed, bar the small gap close to the door frame from where the door was slightly ajar. Tracey stepped forward and pushed it open, gesturing to Rachel to come in. Taking her steps slowly, as if they were baby steps, Rachel entered the room she knew Jake was in. As she manoeuvred around the door, she saw Jake lying in the bed, his dark hair and tanned skin an obvious contrast to the white sheets and white walls surrounding him. As Tracey walked around to the far side of the bed, reading the monitor there, Rachel planted her feet firmly flat, barely centimetres away from the door as if she was too hesitant to enter any further. In a way she was; her and Jake were barely on speaking terms after the altercation with his interfering mother. She felt out of place being there, despite how much she really wanted to be by his side. Tracey noticed her hesitation and laughed quietly.

"You can come in further; I doubt he'd bite," she smiled. Rachel nervously smiled, take a small, tentative step closer to the bed. She was so nervous, the butterflies in her stomach driving her mental. So nervous was she that she thought she would trip over her own feet. Concentrating on her steps, despite looking forward, she wasn't expecting another comment, especially as his eyes had been closed.

"She did say I wouldn't bite," came Jake's weak voice as his eyes fluttered open. At hearing his voice, Rachel took the next steps quicker, coming right alongside his bedside.

"How are you feeling?" asked Rachel quickly, not knowing really what else to say and kind of freaked out by the state he was in.

"Bloody fantastic," replied Jake, his mouth forming a small smile. "What about Mum and Alex?" Tracey came in to answer this one, saving Rachel who really wouldn't have had an accurate clue.

"Your brother is fine. A few cuts and scrapes. And your mum had some internal bleeding, but she's doing really well," replied Tracey in a reassuring voice. "She's going to be sore for a while though."

"Just like you," added Rachel, watching him intently.

"No, I'll be fine," was Jake's reply.

"No need to play tough guy," said Tracey, lifting her eyes from his chart as she spoke. "You won't be leaving here for a while and even when you do, you won't be doing anything."

"Someone has to look after Mum and Alex," said Jake, closing his eyes, as if they were too heavy to stay open. But he reopened them slowly. Before she knew what she was doing, Rachel cut in.

"Don't worry about. I'm going to be here every step of the way," her voice firm but reassuring. Jake, who had closed his eyes again, reopened them to look directly at her.

"Your Mum won't be leaving here for a while either," interjected Tracey.

"And I'll stay with Alex until you're better," promised Rachel. She could hear a voice in the back of her head screaming that Grace would only disapprove. But right now she didn't care; she loved Jake and was determined to do whatever she had to do to prove that to him.

_*********_

_**I'm going to leave it there. That turned out longer than I thought! Updates are unpredictable so who knows when I'll be updating again. **_

_**Please, please read/review/comment. I will love you forever! **_

_**Also, if you are not a member of a Packed to the Rafters forum, message me and I'll give you the link. Would love to see more of you there! But for now, just get writing! LOL**_


	4. Freedom Visit

_First of all, I want to apologise; when I said I didn't know how long it would take me for updates, I didn't expect this long. Call it writers block but I've also had family dramas and a massive workload. And I just got out of hospital, not to mention I am currently holidaying on Lord Howe Island. _

_Thanks to those that have waited patiently for an update and to those that have reviewed. I look forward to hearing from you after this chapter is posted. _

********

_**Two Weeks Later...**_

Life was moving quickly in the Rafters' and their families; Melissa had finally decided to take the plunge and marry Ben, Sammy and Nathan were planning the near future and Julie was growing bigger by the minute.

But for Rachel, her changes were something she most definitely had not seen coming.

With Jake and Grace still recovering, Alex was still under Rachel's care. As she'd expected, Grace had been less than thrilled about the arrangement but confined to a bed in a ward at Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital, she really didn't have much option than to just move on from it. And to show her disapproval of the matter when she felt like it, which Rachel had discovered was very often. But, having almost lost Jake once because of disagreements between his mother and her, Rachel just tried to keep the peace.

Caring for Alex had its tough sides. Deciding it would be best to stay with him at his family's home, Rachel felt increasingly isolated from the comfort of her own family and friends. And having taken leave, she didn't have the escape to work, which she usually loved.

Rachel had given up a lot for Jake, but she knew it was all worth it. How could it not be?

It was only when Alex had gone to his own work, that Rachel really reflected the changes that had recently occurred in her life. Grasping a coffee mug in the dead silence of the relatively unfamiliar kitchen, Rachel contemplated everything, from A to Z.

_Rafter House_

Julie was lying back against the cushions of the couch, under strict orders to rest. Dave was on the computer, while Ted was making coffee.

"Here, I'll help you Dad," Julie spoke up, watching as her father began to pick up the coffee mugs. But Dave stepped in before she could even get up.

"Ah, no you won't. I'll help." Dad stood to take one of the cups to Julie, the only one that contained herbal tea. Nathan and Sammy had just returned from work for the day, entering the Rafter's kitchen, with Sammy nearly walking straight bang into Dave with the tea.

"Whoa! Sorry," said Sammy hurriedly while Dave just shook her head.

"How was work?" piped up Julie, showing an interest.

"It was great. I think I can actually see a future with the direction I'm taking," replied Sammy excitedly. Her enthusiasm was contagious, the happy vibe rubbing off onto others.

"That's great darling!" replied Julie, extremely happy for her daughter-in-law.

"Hey, has anyone heard from Rachel?" asked Nathan, trying to think back to when he last saw his sister. They were all so used to seeing her, that when she was away, it was like she had been away forever.

"I haven't," Ted replied with the shake of a head.

"No, me either," said Julie, lowering her head slightly as she thought of her eldest. "Jake and his mother should be getting out soon though I'd think." Nathan shrugged his shoulders, each Rafter pondering their thoughts as to what Rachel could be doing at the time.

_Royal North Shore Hospital_

A few hours later, after Alex had finished his shift, Rachel took him to see his mother and brother, a promise she had made to him earlier. The trip from Jake's house to the hospital took about ten minutes, in which Alex spoke continually. Rachel could barely get a word in edge space, but if she were to be honest, she didn't really know what to stay. After everything that was happening, Rachel often found herself lost for words, as if she was too caught up in it all to think properly.

Alex walked on ahead to the ward he knew his mum would be in. Visiting her every day, he had worked out his way around pretty well. Jake was in another room to Grace, two doors up on the opposite side to the corridor. Rachel had caught up with Alex by the time they reached Grace's door. But peeking his head in, they discovered Grace was asleep, so decided to stop by and see Jake first. He was awake.

"Hello you two," grinned Jake, showing off his trademark smile as he saw the approaching people. Alex made his was swiftly over to Jake's side, while Rachel faltered slightly. It didn't matter how many times she had been there, or how many times he had told her things would be okay, Rachel still wasn't sure. She had nearly lost Jake, sure. But she couldn't help but think of what would happen when Grace was released. Rachel knew that everything she had done, with looking after Alex mainly, would never be up to Grace's standards. And while she often attempted to push the thoughts back as far as she could in her mind, they spent most of the time creeping up on her, so much so that Rachel rarely tried to ignore them now.

"Hey Rach," Jake called out gently, after Alex had told him just about everything there was to know. Rachel hadn't realised but she'd been looking at the ground, her shoulder gripping tightly to the large hand bag hung over the right shoulder. Looking up, she saw Jake motioning to a spot beside him on the bed. Missing the contact, Rachel smiled and walked around the bottom of the bed and slid gently into a sitting position beside him. Neither said anything, just gazing lovingly into each other's eyes.

"I might just leave you two to it," said Alex, standing up. Rachel sat up straighter and went to speak. "I'm just going to see if Mum's awake," Alex said, sensing that Rachel was going to check where she was going. She was like a little mother hen. Rachel relaxed back as he left.

"So is everything going okay?" asked Jake, causing Rachel to look back at him. She thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Yeah. It's all very different, but it's going well." Jake nodded.

"You shouldn't have to do it much longer; I get out day after tomorrow."

"Really? That's great!" replied Rachel excitedly. "Not because of Alex but because you'll be free!"

"Now that's the Rachel I know," laughed Jake at her enthusiasm.

"And you love me for it." She leant down and gently captured his lips with hers. Drawing back, she continued. "When does your Mum get out?

"Not for at least a few days. She's a slow healer," joked Jake. Rachel smiled as Jake went on. "But that's fine; I'll be okay with Alex."

"No you won't be. Because I'm staying. You'll be fresh out of hospital, and definitely shouldn't be over doing it. I'll just stay for a few days."

"Rach, you really..."

"Don't you want me to stay?" pushed Rachel, toying with him. He smiled and simply kissed her again.

*****

_Okay, so after a really long wait, there's the chapter. And sorry it was so short; just seemed like the place to stop. I'll try and update quicker than I did last time, but I'm not promising anything. As soon as I get back to Perth from Sydney/Lord Howe Island, I'm running to check into a flight to Singapore. So I'm kind of all over the place at the moment. _

_Please read and review. And as for any mistakes, I wrote this partially whilst in hospital. And I was kind of concussed. So forgive me! _


	5. Checkout 1

_Okay, so here is the next update. I am not really sure where this story is headed, it's just happening; going with the flow. _

_They say holidays do wonderful things. They obviously do because I'm updating again! And given my track record with this story, that is pretty darn quick! LOL. _

_Dedicated to __**quonoeye **__who has reviewed every chapter, and because she was the one to review last chapter. And also to __**aussiebabe290 **__whose excellent PTTR fiction has inspired me to keep writing my own!_

_****_

Alex had again gone to work, and with the feeling of isolation again dawning on her, Rachel decided to head back to the Rafter house. She hadn't been there in days; aside from yesterday and today, Alex hadn't been working, therefore she's been spending her time with him. In the short time they'd spent together, Rachel had learnt so much about Jake's younger brother, from his dislike of peas, to his cunning ability to be able to bluff anyone at poker.

"Rachel!" called out the ever familiar voice of Carbo from the front of the Karadonis house. Stopping at her voice, Rachel turned towards her neighbours' gates.

"Hey Carbo," replied Rachel, politely but not as loud and enthusiastic as Carbo's welcome had been.

"Haven't seen you in a long time!" continued Carbo in his usual enthusiastic voice.

"You saw me on the weekend," she laughed.

"Which was five days ago! Today is Friday," added Carbo, attempting to strengthen his point. _Wow, _thought Rachel. _Had it really been that long? _

"Yeah... Well things have been kind of all over the place," replied Rachel slowly. Saying goodbye, Rachel walked a metre or so down the footpath towards the house she had grown up in.

Slowly opening up the front door, Rachel peered her head in slightly, trying to see any visible life beyond the door. After stepping her whole body in through the door, Rachel made sure to close the door quietly, only letting her hand leave the wooden surface after the soft click of the latch. She wasn't quite sure why she was tip toeing through the house considering it was ten o'clock in the morning and most likely, most should be at work.

"Rachel!" exclaimed her mother as she went to walk through from her bedroom to the kitchen. "Darling, it's been so different without you around!" Julie stepped forward to hug her daughter.

"I've missed you too Mum," said Rachel into Julie's shoulder.

"Have you... Are you home for good now?" asked Julie. Rachel slowly shook her head.

"No, Jake doesn't get out until tomorrow and Alex is at work so..." Julie nodded and went to speak again.

"Hey Rach!" called out Ben in a loud voice, much louder than the hushed tone Julie and Rachel had been speaking in. "I thought you were staying at Jake's house." Rachel sighed, but not unhappily. She was losing count on how many times she was having to explain what was currently going on in her life.

"I'm beginning to think that I should just call a public meeting and invite everyone so I don't have to keep repeating myself!" joked Rachel. "But I still am. Jake doesn't get out until tomorrow and since Alex is at work I thought I'd come by here."

"Cool, hey Mum? We've run out of bread," Ben said simply. Julie laughed silently. Twenty four and still not capable of making sure the house was well equipped with food.

Ben had gone home after finding the bread, and the biscuits, and Rachel was now sitting at the outdoor table with her Mum, nursing cups of tea.

"So have you been missing us?" asked Julie, waiting to see her daughter's expression, because Julie knew well enough that if something was wrong, she's be able to pick it up, despite the fact that Rachel probably wouldn't say so.

"Yeah, of course I have," insisted Rachel. Julie thought she was going to say more, but she didn't.

"How do you honestly feel about all this?" Julie asked honestly.

"Oh, it's ah... It's fine..." Rachel started to say but one look at her mother's face told her that her Julie could see right through her. "Okay, it's harder than I ever thought. I mean, I don't regret telling them I'd held out, not at all. But it's just a lot harder than I thought it would be."

"Remember you're not alone," replied Julie, giving her daughter a comforting smile while rubbing her hand. "We're all behind you."

"I know. It's just, a shock," continued Rachel. "But like I said, I don't regret it. I love Jake and I know he'd do the same for me if he had to." Julie gave her daughter a smile, which Rachel picked up on. "What?" Julie just laughed silently and Rachel was insistent on finding out what her Mum was laughing about. "What?!"

"You said you love him," Julie replied simply. Rachel registered what she said, then smiled herself.

"Yeah, I do."

"Then nothing matters," Julie replied. She couldn't help the feeling overcoming her that Rachel had finally found someone who would treat her well and be there for her no matter what. It was mother's instinct that Jake was right for her daughter, and that made her sigh with relief and happiness.

_Next day...  
Royal North Shore Hospital_

Rachel and Alex had arrived at Sydney's Royal North Shore to collect Jake. It would still be a few days until Grace was released, but they were thinking positively. As Rachel and Alex neared the now very familiar door behind which Jake was residing, Rachel heard her name and turned around. Ben's fiancé Melissa was coming along the corridor. And considering she was in her uniform, Rachel assumed she was on a shift.

"Hey Rachel!" Melissa called out, not yelling but loud enough for Rachel to hear her comfortably.

"Hey Mel," replied Rachel, tucking her hand lightly in the back pocket of her jeans.

"You picking up Jake?" asked Melissa, yet she didn't really need the answer. Rachel nodded.

"Yeah. Grace can't come home yet but Jake can so, yeah," replied Rachel, her voice soft.

"Grace shouldn't be too far behind you, just a few more days," added Melissa. "Here, I have to give Jake the final once over before he can leave anyway." Melissa stepped forwards and re-opened the door that Alex had gone in just moments before. Both boys were laughing and Rachel presumed that Alex had told Jake some incredibly funny joke, something she had become well acquainted with over the previous days. But hearing the door open, Jake and Alex both looked up.

"Hey Rach," smiled Jake, a boyish grin crossing over his face. She just simply smiled at him, stepping back slightly to allow Melissa past. "Oh, and hi Melissa." Melissa laughed.

"That's alright. I'm not offended," replied Melissa as she moved to check the chart.

"Ready to come home?" asked Rachel, moving to the opposite side of the bed to Alex and Melissa.

"Am I ever. Hospitals aren't exactly paradise," was Jake's reply. "No offence Mel."

"None taken. If I was a patient, I'd be most likely thinking along the same lines." Rachel waited quietly as Melissa gave Jake the once over, before declaring him fit to go home. With Rachel's assistance, they got him sitting up.

"Alright you. Let's get you home," said Rachel, looking down at Jake who, due to the fact he was sitting, was shorter than her at present.

"Rachel, you know you don't have to stay, I can look after Alex on my own."

"But why do it if you don't have to?" Rachel reasoned. Besides, you can hardly stand on your own; you can't exactly look after yourself right now."

"Rach, you've given up your whole life for what, the last two weeks? We can't inconvenience you anymore." Melissa looked up whilst writing on her file.

"Uh, inconvenience? What are you, a walking talking dictionary? And now you'll just shut up, and listen," Rachel replied firmly, sounding completely different to the Rachel everyone knew. But she was going to get her point and way across, no matter how much work she had to do.

****

_That's a wrap... For now. I've left Lord Howe Island but I arrived back in Perth, then jumped onto a flight to Singapore. I partially wrote this at the airport and I've only just arrived in Singapore. So I'm going to admit, updating isn't my biggest priority. But I'm going to try for another update soon. _

_This chapter again wasn't huge. But I'm finding that my chapters are shorter, but at better places to finish. _

_Also to those other fantastic writers out there. Because of my plane switching and jet setting antics, I haven't been able to review your stories yet. But I'll get there soon! __In the meantime, if you wouldn't mind taking the time to review/comment, it would be muchly appreciated. _


	6. Overprotective

_**I'm going to start off with saying how sorry I am. It's been almost two months since I updated! But what can I say? Things are busy. I've been working from 5am until about 10pm everyday, I'm doing events, my boyfriend had a car accident two days before we were due to fly to Italy. And I got back from Italy/Bali this morning, narrowly avoiding a car accident before we stopped and got the driver out. **_

_**But I'm going to try and update when I can! Promise. And apologies for any mistakes; this was written at about 2am on the plane. **_

_*****_

"Are you sure neither of you need anything? Why don't I try and make something to eat or..."

"Rachel, would you just stop and relax for a minute? Please?" prompted Jake. He had been sitting on the lounge chair at his house for the past fifteen minutes, watching Rachel run around like a mad woman. Rachel, along with Alex's assistance, had helped Jake into the house where he had sat down on the couch. The weather in Sydney had spiked to a high with the summer heat waves.

"Hey Alex! Do you know where the remote for the air conditioner is?" called out Rachel, having obviously ignored Jake's pleas. Jake sighed, dropping his head. Rachel was flipping through things on the kitchen bench, looking for the air conditioning remote.

"Rachel!" Deciding she wasn't listening, Jake stood up slowly, finding his feet, before walking cautiously over to where Rachel was. Only when she noticed Jake had stood up, did Rachel pay any attention.

"You're supposed to be sitting down!" she exclaimed. Jake just smirked.

"Rachel, the remote's in the clip next to the air conditioner," he laughed, taking a further step over and reaching up to remove the remote from its holder. "Just relax, would you?"

"I kinda forgot to look there," admittedly Rachel sheepishly, looking back at Jake. Jake laughed and shook his head, before grabbing her shoulders and pushing her towards the lounge room.

"Just sit for a minute. You're trying to do so many things at once that you actually don't know what you're doing."

"You can stop babying me; I'm supposed to be the one looking after you," grumbled Rachel as she plonked herself down on the couch. Jake turned to sit down next to her and Rachel held her arm up to steady him, although he seemed alright on his own.

"I'm fine, Rachel," Jake told her once he was sitting. Rachel raised her eyebrows at this, which Jake saw. "Okay, I might be a bit bashed up. But I am okay. Okay enough that you don't have to run yourself into the ground looking after me and Alex." Neither of them said anything for a while, both staring straight in front, out to the sliding door which lead to the backyard.

Rachel was the first one to speak again, turning back to face Jake.

"You have no idea what it was like seeing you like that." At her words, Jake turned back to face her. He shook his head slowly.

"You shouldn't have had to go through that. Neither should Mum or Alex."

"No one should ever have to go through anything like that. No one," replied Rachel, in some sort of attempt to comfort him. Rachel continued watching Jake for a minute, as he sat thinking.

"I remember... after... the accident," he started. "Mum wasn't moving. And I couldn't see Alex." Rachel wasn't sure what to say to this, but decided that it was probably better to just let him get off his chest whatever he wanted to say.

"I tried... I tried to move... but I couldn't." Jake looks towards Rachel briefly before continuing. "I don't remember anything after that." Rachel wasn't sure what more to say after that. But she spoke gently.

"They said that when they arrived, you and your mum were both unconscious. Alex was awake. When the police rang me, you'd just been taken to hospital."

"See, that's what frustrates me! I don't remember. And the only part I do, I didn't do anything to help."

"Jake! How could you have helped? You were trapped; they had to use the jaws-of-life just to get you out of the car."

"I've always promised to look out for Mum and Alex, after Dad left. I became the man of the house. Just feels like I failed that," said Jake, resting his head back against the chair, before turning to Rachel. "Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah, it does," said Rachel slowly. "But it's not our fault. It never was and it never will be." They continued to look at each other, with Jake reaching over to grip Rachel's hand, as a comfort.

_2.00pm, Barton House_

With her daughter staying there for the time being, a very pregnant Julie Rafter decided to go by and see how her daughter was coping.

Rachel had barely left Jake's side, only leaving the house for fifteen minutes to take Alex to work.

Climbing the few small steps up to the front door, Julie pressed the bell next to the door and took a step back to wait for someone to come and answer it. Just a few moments later, she saw a figure approach.

"Hi Jules."

"Jake, I didn't think you'd be up and about already," said Julie, clearly surprised at seeing Jake approach the door. "Last time we saw you, you were stuck in a hospital bed." Jake laughed a little before opening the door to let her in.

"Relishing the chance to move around again. Rachel hasn't spotted me yet," he told her as he closed stepped back to let her go through. He was met with a tea towel to the head.

"Rachel did spot you," she told him, coming up to join him near the door. "Hi Mum." Julie smiled at seeing their interaction.

"Hi darling. Just thought I'd come by and see how you're all doing," she smiled, before remembering something. "Oh, I felt like baking." She held out the container in her hand, which Rachel accepted. She opened the lid to reveal her mother's delicious chocolate cake. Jake looked over her shoulder.

"I feel better already. Thanks Jules."

"So how are you feeling?" asked Julie, glancing over her shoulder at Jake as she was ushered into the living room.

"Like I'm in prison," was Jake's response, with a glance toward Rachel, which earned him a glare in return. "I'm feeling good."

"He's being stubborn," added Rachel. "He doesn't get that he's injured."

"You shouldn't be in advertising; you should be working as one of those ward nurses; you sound just as bossy."

"Oh, you can hardly talk Mr..."

"I understand now," interrupted Julie, while laughing at their bickering. Jake and Rachel looked at each other, before both looking at Julie, obviously thinking back to exactly what they had just been on about.

"Anyway Mum, how's my little sister doing?"

"Ben's got something to say about that; he wants a brother," laughed Julie.

"I don't care what he wants; I think it's a girl," was Rachel's indignant reply. Julie could only laugh.

"So, when is Grace being released from hospital?" At the mention of his mother, Jake looked over at Rachel, before he answered.

"Day after tomorrow."

****

_**It's so short! But it's a wrap. For now. I don't think this will be one of those really long stories. Definitely not like my Sea Patrol fiction 'Underlying Facts' which was 41 chapters or something. **_

_**Thank you to those who have reviewed on previous chapters. I can only hope you are still interested considering it took me so long to update. Reviews are appreciated. Thanks for reading!**_


	7. Checkout 2

_**Okay, it wasn't **_**too **_**long for an update really... Hey, it's better than nothing. Last time it took more than two months!**_

_**I'm going to apologise in advance for anything remotely wrong in this chapter; I'm in hospital on god knows what drugs. Yep, again. Seriously, who ends up with a case of appendicitis that goes undiagnosed for about two months and then nearly kills them? Me, of course...**_

_**Anyway, thanks must go to both aussiebabe290 and quonoeye for both being my regular reviews. You have no idea what it means to me. And apart from the fact that I'm really bored, I had to update now, because if Rhyleigh updates one more time before I do....**_

**_****_**

_**Two Days Later...**_

It had arrived. A day Rachel had been dreading. She had tried, tried to make some sort of connection with Grace when she had been dating Jake. But she just wouldn't budge.

Rachel could understand how parent's wanted to be protective of their children. After all, her Dad had once searched one of Rachel's potential boyfriends for condoms during her high school years. However, she just wanted the chance. The chance to prove to Jake's mother that she did genuinely care for Jake.

As Rachel, Jake and Alex made their way through Royal North Shore hospital to where they knew Grace was, Rachel began hesitating slightly. Her pace slowed and she fell a few steps behind Jake, something he noticed quickly.

"Rach?"

Rachel looked up at the expectant man before her and licked her upper lift before indicating to him that she was coming. She skipped the few steps up to be back beside him.

Alex opened the door to Grace's room himself, while Jake went to step in next, followed by Rachel. But before she could, Rachel was stopped by Melissa herself.

"You have a habit of stopping me at the hospital," Rachel told. Melissa just smiled before replying.

"Yeah. How are you feeling about today?" Rachel looked at Mel, trying to give her the 'what do you mean' look, only to see Melissa wasn't buying it, judging by how she raised her eyebrows.

"Okay, I'm freaking out," Rachel whispered back, stepping back slightly from the door, which was ajar. "I have no idea how any of this is going to go down."

"You're stressing out; you'll make it feel worse than it really is," offered Melissa.

"You have no idea," replied Rachel, her voice still at stage whisper levels. "She hates me!"

"Just go with the flow; work around what she says and does. Compromise," provided Melissa. "It's probably the best way unless you want to start World War III."

"I think we're way beyond that..." Rachel threw Melissa one final, small smile before stepping in through the door.

"Alright if I come in?" Grace gave Rachel a small smile, something she hadn't been expecting. The cold, stone-faced Grace that Rachel had been picturing and dreaming about for days now didn't appear to be present. Yet.

_12.30am, Barton House_

Rachel hung back a little as Grace went into the house. It was something Rachel was thinking about; she wasn't purposefully doing it. She just was.

With her boys either side of her as she walked the couple of steps to the front door, Jake stopped and looked back at Rachel as she hesitated at the bottom of the steps. Alex was assisting his mother through the front door.

Grace saw from the corner of her eye, Jake stepping back down the steps to Rachel's side. She could see the look on his face. Genuine caring. She couldn't dwell on this any further when Alex pulled her further inside.

"You don't have to stay," Jake told Rachel. He could almost see the torment she was enduring at the present moment, the same torment that had been eating her up bit by bit each day.

But Rachel just shook her head.

"I promised Alex I would stay," she replied. "And you." Jake watched her intently. "Besides, imagine how much more your Mum would hate me should I leave now."

"She doesn't hate you..." jumped in Jake, the usual argument. Rachel just scoffed.

"Yeah."

_2.30pm, Rafter House_

"Oh, come on!" cried Julie Rafter as she moved the tin she was holding aside. Dave, who was at the computer table looked over, while Sammy and Nathan both looked over Julie's shoulders, right at the dead item on the bench.

"That was supposed to be a chocolate cake!" she again cried.

"Well, it... it might be okay... you know, if you add some icing..." tried Sammy.

"It's dead!"

"Yeah, Sam, don't get between Mum and her chocolate cake," put in Nathan, stepping back.

"That's the second one today!" Julie's tone was murderous.

"You gave away the only good one to Rachel and Jake," was Dave's reply, coming over to inspect the cake for himself. All he got was a glare in return. "Okay!" he threw his arms up exasperated. "When is Rachel coming back anyway?"

"When Jake and Grace are better I suppose," Julie replied, throwing down the tea towel she was holding. Nathan took Sammy's arm and pulled her out of the kitchen quietly, attempting to avoid any more of Julie's outbursts.

_5.30pm, Barton House_

Jake and Alex were watching some form out sport on the television often yelling something out at something or someone on the screen.

Rachel was attempting to make a start on dinner. She was going for what was usually simple, spaghetti bolognaise. But with Rachel's kitchen sense, it wasn't exactly going to plan.

"Do you want a hand there?" Rachel whirled around from the sink to see Grace standing by the bench.

"Oh, you're supposed to be resting. I, I can manage," stuttered Rachel.

"It's okay Rachel. I'm not going to give you the dressing down at dinner." Grace stepped further into the kitchen, moving to the pot of bubbling red sauce and gave it a stir, before pausing for a minute and reaching over to the bench. Picking up the salt, she cracked it a few time over the top.

"It'll add flavour."

"Right," replied Rachel, her tone nervous. Grace stirred the pot for a few minutes while Rachel focused on the pasta, both remaining silent before Grace took the initiative and spoke up.

"Rachel, I know that in the past..."

"It's okay. I know your thoughts and I respect that," Rachel jumped in quickly. Aside from the fact that she knew what Grace was already going to say, she didn't think she'd be able to keep herself supposed if she heard it all again.

"That wasn't what I was going to say." Grace looked towards Rachel. Rachel said nothing. "Rachel, what you did for us, this family, for me, I can't thank you enough," started Grace. "To be perfectly honest, I never thought I'd be saying this to you of all people, but I'm really grateful it was you here looking after things. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there for Alex. And Jake."

Rachel wasn't exactly sure what to say. When Grace had started talking, she sure hadn't been expecting that.

"I was really hesitant about losing Jake when we first met you," said Grace. "And it's taken me so long to realise, that I can't keep him locked up forever. He needs to live his own life." Grace paused, as if gathering her words, making Rachel even more nervous. "And if he wants to have that life with you, then I'm going to support him. He's my son."

To say she was speechless, would be an understatement; Rachel was gobsmacked. Had Grace really hit her head that hard?

"Now you think I'm just saying it because of Jake, aren't you?" Grace asked, taking in Rachel's reaction, or lack thereof. "I'm not."

Saving Rachel from thinking up something to answer Grace's words, Alex came bustling in.

"How long 'till dinner's ready?" Rachel flicked away a piece of hair that has inching closer to her eyes before answering.

"Uh, a few minutes?"

"Few minutes Jake!" called out Alex as he headed back to the living room to sit back down with Jake.

"I'm not planning on hurting Jake," Rachel eventually summed up the courage to say. "And I don't plan on changing him. Because if I did that, he wouldn't be the Jake I love."

The Jake she loved? _Wow, where did that come from? _thought Rachel to herself almost as soon as the words were out.

Grace reached over and gave Rachel a hug. She wasn't sure things were entirely okay just yet, but Rachel had the feeling that things were starting off better than she had imagined.

*********

_**Corny, right?! LOL. I'll blame it all on whatever I'm on at the moment. I have never really had much idea as to what exactly would happen with this. It kind of just, panned out. I had the main idea, but it all pretty much wrote itself. **_

_**Reviews/comments muchly appreciated. Thanks for being such loyal reviewers!**_


	8. Apologies

_**Alrighty, it's about time you all had an update... And I've got the time since they stuffed up my flights, so I'm stranded in Singapore. Was supposed to be heading to Spain, via London. Now they don't know how long I'm going to be stuck in Singapore for. We only managed to get two flights to London, therefore my friends went to London to get flights to Spain, and wait for me. Now I'm all alone in a foreign country...**_

_**Anyway, if you haven't all forgotten, I'd love reviews. I have the most loyal readers, since I only update once every few months! I feel so bad... And this chapter didn't come easily. Two nights of work, and it just wasn't coming. But here we go...**_

_**Oh, and anyone else really annoyed at the ' is brought to you by...' ads lately? You can't click on one chapter without them popping up!**_

_*********_

"So you going to tell me what Mum said to you?" Jake's question was completely out of the blue as Rachel sat with him in the lounge later that night. The late news could be seen on the television, but it didn't seem as if that was of any interest at this current moment in time.

"What?" replied Rachel, trying to display a 'don't know what you are talking about' face, only for it to fail miserably, and for Jake to see right through it.

"You two were actually civil at dinner tonight," added Jake, backing up his previous comment.

"Well, I don't remember us ever tackling and wrestling each other," said Rachel, deflecting as much as possible before finally getting to the real point. "We talked."

"Yeah, I got that much," said Jake, his tone bored. "Are you going to tell me or what?"

"She just thanked me for helping out the last few weeks."

"Okay... What else?" Jake pushed her to continue.

"How do you know..." Rachel looked at his face, and knew she had to continue. "She said that she knows you have to live your own life and she gets it." The final sentence came out so quickly that Jake had to laugh. Rachel was like that when she was nervous, and he could tell she was by the way she was twisting her hands in her lap.

"What did she say about you though?" Rachel suddenly seemed absorbed in the news at hearing Jake's last sentence, but he wasn't letting her go that easily. "Rachel?"

"She just..." Rachel wasn't sure how to put the words together. "She just basically said she'd accept me if it's what you wanted. If it'd make you happy." Sighing, Rachel never once broke her eyes from the television, yet if asked, she wouldn't be able to say what was happening. She wasn't actually taking any of it in.

"I didn't tell her to say any of that," Jake immediately said. "Promise."

"Grace told me that already," Rachel replied quietly, turning finally to look at him. Silence engulfed them briefly, before Jake spoke again.

"And what did you think of that?" Again, another pause before Rachel answered.

"I don't know."

"Rach, what happened between us before, I'm sorry. I really am," Jake said as his eyes searched for hers, as she turned to look away, afraid she'd break if she was looking directly at him. "Rachel, will you look at me please?" Slowly, Rachel turned her face to look at him, her eyes showing the early signs of tears.

"What do you expect me to say?" asked Rachel, finally gathering herself up enough to come up with some form of response. "What do you expect me to say to that? You were the one that left me because of your Mum."

"Rachel, I..."

"No Jake. I know how much your Mum means to you. Alex too. And I know you've always had to be the one there for them," Rachel paused again, taking a deep breath. "What I'm trying to say is that I understand."

"And what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry," said Jake. "Can you at least accept that? Please?"

"Now you're just apologising because you think it's what I want," replied Rachel. "I don't expect you to do that."

"You know, you are one of the most complicated girls I've ever met," laughed Jake. "But I think you're worth the effort." With that, surprisingly Rachel, he leaned in and kissed her. After a moment, he drew back, mainly to take in Rachel's expression.

"That, that was... Umm..." Rachel stuttered over her words, her mind muddled.

"Umm?" Jake asked with a smile. "Well?"

"I can't put myself out there, only to get hurt again Jake," Rachel eventually spoke up. "I just can't do it."

"And I don't plan on hurting you Rach," was Jake's reply. "Look Rach, last time was all new for me. Sure, I'd been interested in girls, but none of them had been much more. With you, things were progressing, I was cautious of that and Mum's comments just sent all that spinning." Rachel was now just watching him, half wanting to hear more, the other half preparing herself for another fall.

"I don't need..."

"Rachel stop. Let me finish," Jake's tone was firm. "I want you. Like, for real. No more interferences, no more hesitations. A proper relationship."

For Rachel, this was everything she had wanted. Ever since their break-up, all Rachel had wanted was a second go. The days where she had curled up after work and over-indulged in chocolate, attempting to seek some form of solace in the addictive sweet. The days where she had buried herself in work, and refused to let anyone in. Those barriers were all just a way of trying to block out the deep pain that their break-up had caused.

And now she had a chance to fix that.

But then, what if he were to change his mind again? Could she deal with that?

Or was love really worth all that pain, to gamble every ounce of happiness she had finally managed to muster up again?

These thoughts were swirling around Rachel's head. She had no idea how long she sat there, processing them, until Jake snapped her out of her trance.

"Are you going to say something or not? You're making me a little nervous," Jake admitted, and asked, with a small laugh.

"If we're going to do this, properly, I can't go through that hurt again. I barely got through that last time, and I don't honestly know if I'm strong enough to face that again," she eventually replied, tone honest.

"Well, for starters, you're strong enough for anything." Rachel raised her eyebrows, and Jake took that as his cue to continue. "But I don't plan on making, or letting, you go through that again. I want you in my life."

"That sounds a bit like a proposal," Rachel replied, a little freaked out by the thought. Jake noticed this too, and laughed.

"I'm not proposing. At least not yet. I'm not saying I'm not open to the thought of marriage, just for now, I want things to be, normal, if that's at all possible."

"Is normal even possible with us?" Rachel said, attempting a smile.

"That's a good point. Probably not," Jake replied. "But you know what I mean."

"I do know what you meant."

"And?" Jake's tone was questioning. She'd put off the question how many times in the last few minutes, now he was beginning to think she didn't want to give them another go.

"And I want to." While the answer was clipped and brief, it was enough to give Jake something to work with. But it was also enough to make him want to know more.

"Want to?"

"Yes, I want to give this another go," Rachel told him. "But only if we take it slow. No rushing into ot like we did last time. I think that might have been part of the problem."

"Done. Deal. Anything!" Jake replied quickly.

"This is going to work isn't it?" Rachel asked again. Yet judging by Jake's enthusiastic reply, she was pretty sure he didn't need to answer that.

"You bet it is."

_**Next day... 10am, Rafter House**_

"Hello? Anyone home?" Rachel called out after she had entered the house. Holding the door as it clicked into the lock, Rachel turned back around and walked in quietly. The house was extremely quiet. Rachel assumed that everyone was either at work, or like Ted, enjoying the retired life.

"Hey Rachel." Rachel nearly jumped out of her skin as she heard her sister-in-law's voice to the door on the right.

"Oh Sammy. You scared the hell out me!" laughed Rachel. "Why aren't you at work?"

"Oh, I've got the day off. Are you okay? You seem a little jumpy."

"Yeah, you just scared me! Is Mum here?" asked Rachel next. Sammy nodded.

"Yeah. She's asleep though."

"I won't wake her then," replied Rachel. Sammy looked at Rachel closely, then smiled.

"What are you so cheery about?"

"I'm not," Rachel quickly put in. "I mean, nothing's wrong or anything."

"Yeah, I got that," Sammy replied, her face still plastered with a confused smile. "Something happened between you and Jake, didn't it?"

"What makes you say that?" asked Rachel, attempting the innocent look, yet failing miserably.

"Aww... It did! That's great Rach!" smiled Sammy, reaching forward to wrap Rachel in a hug. With her head on Sammy's shoulder, Rachel just laughed.

"Don't tell anyone yet. We're taking it 'slow'," emphasized Rachel. "Okay?"

"Yeah, of course. But I'm thinking they'd already be suspecting anyway. I think even Carbo has at some point." Even Rachel had to laugh at this. Carbo was the sharpest tool in the shed.

"Point taken," replied Rachel.

"Come on. Let's get some tea and go outside. I want to know EVERYTHING," added Sammy, taking Rachel and heading into the kitchen.

****

_**Okay, there we go. I'm still not sure where this story will go... But I do only predict a few more chapters at max. Maybe for a final chapter I can do a 'future' chapter, you know, how they are in a years' time or something...**_

_**Although I absolutely HATED this chapter and I know it's been so long, if you could still review for me, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!**_

_**Emma x x **_


	9. Family BBQ

_**Well, what a few days it has been! Last Tuesday I finally managed to make it to London, where I met up with my friend. Our other friend had already gotten a flight to Spain, where we joined her about two days later. Having a ball! Currently, I'm at a ski resort a way out of Madrid, and loving it!**_

_**As for back home, disaster has struck. Massive storms have caused all sorts of damage, and my precious pup Ruby has runaway. I hope they find her soon. But it's such a mess there apparently. **_

_**Anyway, thanks to my two loyal reviewers; you know who you are. And again, these ads on this website are driving me insane... They pop up all the time!**_

_********_

_**Rafter House, 2 weeks later**_

"I'm not sure if anyone else is home," said Rachel over her shoulder to Jake as she pushed open the front door to the Rafter house. Her key got stuck in the door, and yanked her back as she attempted to walk back in the door with her suitcase. Jake laughed, and took it out of the lock for her, handing it to her over her shoulder.

"Well, home sweet home," said Jake, walking a step behind Rachel as she walked up the hall, peeking into the empty kitchen as she walked towards her room.

"Feels weird to be back here," laughed Rachel. "I've been away a while!"

"Well you could have stayed..." was Jake's reply.

"Aww... You would have gotten sick of me," laughed Rachel, standing on tiptoes and giving him a quick kiss, before lifting the suitcase onto the familiar bed. She turned and walked back out of the bedroom door, back into the hallway with Jake one step ahead of her. "Where is everyone?" They got their answer as they walked past the window, and heard voices from out the back.

Rachel and Jake headed for the backyard, stepping out to see Julie, Ted, Chel and Nathan sitting around the table, Dave by the barbeque. Meanwhile, Carbo and Ben were attempting to show Sammy the finer parts of football. Melissa was also involved, telling Sammy to ignore half of their comments and suggestions.

"Hey guys!" called out Rachel, as she stepped past Jake and walked towards Julie.

"Hi darling!" cooed Julie, reaching up with her arms to hug her daughter. "Hi Jake."

"Hi Jules," Jake replied politely as Rachel sat down next to Julie.

"And how's my baby sister doing?" asked Rachel, resting her hand on her Mum's belly. Jake sat down on the other side of Rachel.

"Oi! We're getting a brother!" called out Ben. They laughed.

"Shut up big ears! It's a sister," was Rachel's indignant reply.

"Alright then, put your money where your mouth is Rachel," said Nathan, as he walked slowly back to the table. "If it's a boy, you give Ben and I $10 each."

"And if I win?" asked Rachel, a devilish smile on her face. Julie couldn't help but smile at the banter between her children, having missed the interaction between them whilst Rachel had been away.

"We'll give you $10 each," replied Ben, stepping up to where Nathan was, trying to create a united front.

"Alright, done!" declared Rachel, standing up to shake hands with her brothers. "Don't cry when you lose!"

"Puh-lease... Like we're going to lose!" snorted Ben, before turning back to the football game.

"So Jake, how are you going?" asked Julie, turning to face the man in question as Rachel moved back to her seat between them.

"Better, much better," replied Jake. "Mum's still struggling a bit."

"I can't imagine," said Julie. "Tell her to let us know if she needs anything." Julie was interrupted from saying more when Rachel came and stuck her head flat against Julie's belly, as if trying to listen to any noises her new sibling would make. Jake just watched her and smiled.

_**Rafter House, 9.30pm**_

"That was beautiful Julie," Jake spoke up, having finished dinner with the Rafters, plus the honourary Rafters. "But I think it's time I should be getting home."

"You can just stay here," hinted Rachel. Jake laughed. 'Slow' he mouthed to her, before speaking up.

"No Rach. It's fine. I can get a cab."

"Don't be stupid. I'll drive you home," said Rachel. "Come on then." She grabbed her keys from the bench near the fridge. She headed out, while Jake bid his farewells.

Heading outside, Rachel was about to get into the driver's seat, when Jake stopped her.

"Can I drive? Please?" he begged. Rachel laughed. It was obvious being cooped for the past few weeks had bored him.

"Already? You want to drive already?

"Rachel, I've got to sometime. And I'm fine now. It's been a long few weeks, and I've done a lot of healing. Now I'm all better!"

"You sound like a five year old," teased Rachel, tossing the keys to him. Although she was a slight reluctant, she figured it would be alright. They didn't have to drive too far anyway.

"I forgot how much of a toy your car is," groaned Jake as he slid down into the driver's seat of Rachel's little red Beetle.

"Hey!" was Rachel's reply from the passenger seat, thumping him on the arm. "You want to drive my car, don't diss it."

"Don't hurt me! I'm injured!" retorted Jake, motioning to where she had just punched him.

"Well, in that case, you shouldn't be driving," Rachel said back. Jake rolled his eyes in defeat. He started the car before she could kick him out.

"But you're too slow..."

Their banter continued most of the way home. But it wasn't angry. It may have been heated, but it was all in fun. Just the way they wanted it.

_**Next day, Rafter House, 10.30am**_

Rachel came out of her bedroom after everyone had gone to work. It had felt a little different being back in her bed again. She had one more day before she was due back at work. So she planned to relax today, a way to unwind after the few weeks she had just been through.

"I'll have one," pipes up Julie as she walks into the kitchen. Leaning with her back against the bench near the sink, Rachel looked over her shoulder to what her Mum was pointing at; the kettle.

"Sure," replied Rachel, instantly turning around to take another mug from the top cupboard, placing a tea bag in it from the jar.

"So, how was your bed?" asked Julie, sitting down nearby.

"I've only slept in it for how many years?" said Rachel matter-of-factly.

"Oh very funny," was Julie's sarcastic reply.

"I know what you mean. It was fine," smiled Rachel. She sighed. "That was a long few weeks."

"Do you regret it?" asked Julie, looking up at her eldest, and only daughter.

"Of course not!" Rachel was quick to reply. "I'm just saying..."

"What you did Rachel. Not many people would have done. It would have been tough and difficult to deal with. You should be proud with how you've handled yourself; I know we are," said Julie honestly. It made Rachel smile.

"Thanks Mum," said Rachel, placing the cup in front of her Mum and giving her a kiss on the cheek, before leaving the kitchen.

_**Road somewhere, 11am**_

As Rachel drove along the road, absentmindedly tapping her fingers on the Volkswagen's steering wheel to the tune on the radio, she was thinking about Jake. If she was honest with herself, she'd probably say that Jake had been the only thing she'd thought much about recently. But then again, who could really blame her? She'd seen the darker days, she'd seen the positives. Rachel was still wondering how she'd made it through those weeks.

At the beginning, it had all seemed too much. Rachel had felt suffocated by all the news of what had happened. She had thought she wouldn't be able to cope.

But as time had gone on, Rachel had realised that she was able to get there. Freaking out wasn't the solution; taking things as they came, one day at a time had helped. Panicking wouldn't help her, or those she had helped.

Another feeling that Rachel had been feeling, was uneasiness. A sure sign of just how much she cared for Jake, she had worried about leaving him when she returned home. He'd always been the one to care for his family and make sure they were all okay. And Rachel knew very well that being in an accident wouldn't have stopped his natural instincts. And if he had to, he'd hurt himself to do it. Jake would bend-over-backwards for his family.

Worry. Rachel plain out worried. She had tried to ignore it, telling herself that he's a big boy who could look after himself. But she couldn't help it. And it really was revealing the deep depths of her affection for Jake.

Rachel was only broken out of her trance as she heard a horn blare. Snapping out of her thoughts, Rachel noticed she had been completely oblivious to the traffic and road rules, driving straight through a stop sign.

Shaking her head, she pulled the car off to the side of the road and sat, thinking. He wasn't even here but look at what Jake had the ability to do to her! Whether or not Jake reciprocated the feelings she had, Rachel didn't know. But only time would tell.

****

_**There we go... Another one done. Updates are uncertain (as to when) so keep reviewing please. Be thankful it didn't take me long to update this time!**_

_**Thanks again, **_

_**Emma x x**_


	10. Uncomplicated

_**There is no excuse. No excuse, for taking so long to update. Trust me, it's not something I don't already know. **_

_**But life, is life. And life has a habit of running away from you sometimes. Whether it's work, or fun, or family, or friends. Or whether you simply can't be bothered. It runs away from you.**_

_**Anyway, I will dedicate this chapter to aussiebabe290 and quonoeye who review always. Thanks guys. **_

Rachel had been back at work for about a week now. It had felt a little weird going back after what felt like such a huge gap, but her colleagues had been very welcoming. A week in, Rachel had completely slotted herself back in, re-finding her feet in her job. Exactly a week since she had been back, whilst Rachel had been giggling and rolling her eyes at Libby and George's antics, she received a phone call.

"Are you guys alright?" Rachel had answered the phone, registering the caller ID and instantly wanting to make sure nothing was wrong. She couldn't help it!

From where they were standing, barely a few inches from Rachel's side, Libby and George looked on concerned, before Libby shook her head with a roll of her eyes. Rachel, who had seen the look, broke her concentration from the phone call for a matter of seconds, throwing the closest thing she could find at Libby; today's newspaper.

"_Everything's fine Rach," _came Jake's voice through the phone with a chuckle. _"Seriously, that was ages ago now!"_

"Shut up. I can't help it," admitted Rachel.

"_Things must be getting serious then if you worry that much," _Jake replied. Rachel paused for a moment, considering her thoughts.

"I guess they are," said Rachel, nodding to herself slowly as she spoke.

"_Is that a bad thing?" _asked Jake. It seemed he had picked up the slight hesitation.

"No. No it's not," Rachel decided.

"_Well that's a relief. Anyway, I was just wondering what time your lunch break is so we could go and get lunch," _said Jake.

"Lunch? Oh, I'm leaving in an hour to have lunch with Libby," started Rachel. As much as she wanted to agree to have lunch with him, she couldn't blow off her friend.

"Which has just been cancelled," announced Libby as she glided past Rachel's desk again. Rachel looked up and smiled at her friend's back, who had continued through to the coffee break room.

"Well, it appears my date just cancelled. You want to meet in an hour?" asked Rachel.

"_I'll meet you at your work."_

"It's okay. I can meet you, or come and get you..." Rachel started.

"Bye Rachel!" Jake interrupted, cutting off the connection before she could say anymore. Rachel simply smiled and put the phone down.

"So what did he say? Where is this hot date?" Libby sprung up from the edge of the desk. "Come on, tells me all the details."

"I, quite honestly, have no idea," said Rachel slowly, pondering that very same thought herself. Jake, her man of mystery.

_**12.30pm, Rachel's work**_

Not a minute later than promised, Jake waltzed into the office area as if he knew the place like the back of his hand.

"You ready?" he asked Rachel with a smile, leaning on the wall against her desk, startling the blonde who hadn't seen his approach.

"Jeez, scare a girl why don't you?" was Rachel's reply as she swivelled in her chair. "And yes, I'm ready."

"Great, then let's get out of here," said Jake, swooping over the edge of the wall to grab Rachel's bag for her before she could.

"What's gotten into you?" questioned Rachel as she watched him curiously. "And where are we 'getting out of here' to?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise," replied Jake, a triumphant smile across his face as they began walking out of the building.

"You never said it was a surprise," tried Rachel.

"But I never said it wasn't," retorted Jake. "Now be quiet."

_**12.45pm, Carpark overlooking water**_

As he pulled on the hand break, Jake couldn't help but groan slightly, a fact that didn't go un-noticed by Rachel.

"Are you sure you are alright to drive?" she asked in a worried tone. "You know wha..."

"Rach, I'm fine, alright? Just relax," Jake cut her off, before jumping out of the car. Rachel sat their shocked for a moment, before going to reach for the door handle, only for the door to come flying open, apparently of its own accord anyway.

Until Rachel saw Jake holding the door open for her that is.

"A gentleman," said Rachel as she stepped out of the car.

"Always," replied Jake slowly, as he stood behind her and turned her shoulders slightly. "Now, what do you see?"

Taking a glance around, the view was fairly simple. A grassed area directly in front of the car, with a winding pathway through the middle of it. The water stretched out for miles in front of that, a bridge off in the near distance. A few park benches were situated at various spots around the area. It was a beautiful sight.

"I, uh, see water. And grass?" replied Rachel in an unsure voice.

"Not so much the scenery, more about the significance of the scenery," prompted Jake, gripping her shoulders and peering over them slightly to catch a glimpse of her face.

And then she understood.

"The fish and chips." And to which, Jake smiled.

"Yep, the fish and chips."

And there they were, half an hour later, tucking away at the paper-wrapped fish and chips. A traditional food to eat with your fingers. Jake and Rachel were spread out on a picnic rug, the paper of chips and fish spread out between them, both propped up on one elbow.

"This is beautiful you know," Rachel said, looking over towards Jake.

"I just wanted to have a nice, complicated-free lunch with you," replied Jake with the shrug of his shoulders. He picked up a chip and popped it in his mouth.

"Us? Complicated-free? I think you and I are the king and queen of complicated," Rachel said with a snort.

"Yeah, true," laughed Jake. "But what can go wrong with fish and chips?" Rachel smiled and leaned back to look up at the sky.

"Look, it's a donkey," piped up Rachel a moment later, as Jake was watching her. Jake raised his head upwards, to where Rachel was pointing at a spot in the sky.

"A donkey? Where the hell can you see a donkey?"

"In between the pot plant and the... We'll call that a pizza," replied Rachel, pointing with more energy so he could see it. Jake smiled at her, one more time, before he too lay back to look at the clouds.

"Nup, sorry Rach. You must have a vivid imagination as I'm just not seeing the donkey. But that one," he points upwards, "Looks like a giant beer can."

"You think I'm the one with the imagination?" retorted Rachel.

"We couldn't have lunch without an argument of some sort," pointed out Jake with a laugh.

"It's banter; it brings spark to a relationship. Besides, if we didn't banter, we wouldn't be us," replied Rachel. She turned her head to look at Jake, as she picked up his hand. Feeling her eyes on the side of his head, Jake turned too before replying.

"Exactly."

_**So there we have it. The area and fish and chips I was referring to was that date Rachel and Jake had where they were eating off the back of his ute. Sometime towards the beginning of Season 2 I believe. **_

_**A dud, filler chapter because my brain can't think of anything else. Just a useless pile of fluff. But hey, it's the best we could get it!**_

_**Anyway, I know it's been so long, and I completely understand if you have given up on this story (I would have at this rate) but I would love a review. Pretty please?**_

_**Emma x x**_


	11. Proposal

_**Want to know something cool? I have my own Ben now! Enter Benjamin, a healthy baby boy born mid-July of 2010. I will say that Rafter's wasn't the reason for his name... It was just kind of fitting. And although I may be biased, he really is gorgeous. **_

_**Anyway, I will warn; I hate this chapter. I really do. It wasn't working out and it took ages to write. And still, I am nowhere near happy with it. But don't say I didn't warn you. **_

"I want to marry her Mum."

Grace spun around at the sound of his voice.

He saw her surprise as he turned around, so he took a step forward as he prepared to speak more.

"You what?" asked Grace, although she was almost certain she knew exactly what he had said.

"I want to marry her," Jake repeated. "And I know what you've said about her in the past. But I love her, Mum. I really do. And I can't walk away from that." At that, Jake paused, gauging his mother's expression.

"Did I say anything?" Grace eventually broke, her word's breaking any silence that had fallen between them.

"What, you're saying you're okay with this?" Jake asked in a slight case of disbelief. Grace moved from behind the kitchen bench she was standing at and headed towards the table to pick up a glass resting there. Jake simply moved back and forth, dodging his Mum every time she came remotely close to him being in the way. "You've never approved!"

"I do approve," replied Grace, her tone thoughtful yet firm. Jake simply snorted and tossed his head. "I do!" Grace added again. "I'll admit, I didn't at first. Because no one would ever be good enough in my eyes. Not for my son."

"But you are okay with this?" Jake asked again, disbelief even more evident in his voice. Grace answered his question with a question.

"This is what you want?" Grace asked.

"Yeah, yeah it is," Jake replied, his tone firm.

"Then who am I to stop you?" said Grace, her tone smiling. Jake could only smile back, wrapping his Mum in a hug. Grace laughed and swatted his back, but hugged him right back.

"Want to see something?" started Jake as they both pulled back. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a box. Grace smiled as he opened it.

"It's beautiful, Jake," Grace told him truthfully, looking back up from the ring to Jake. "It really is."

"You think she'll like it?" Jake asked. He was confident, but also that slight bit hesitant that perhaps it wasn't what Rachel would like.

"Darling, I think she's going to love it."

_11.30am, Rachel's work. _

With the clock hands heading closer and closer towards the afternoon, and the time ticking over so that it was nearing lunchtime, Rachel Rafter sat at her desk at work, preparing a mock presentation to use for their latest campaign.

"Hey baby."

Rachel was so far into her own little advertising world that she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard his voice.

"Jake, don't do that!" Rachel exclaimed. Jake laughed and came back around behind the wall surrounding her desk and sat down on the empty chair next to her.

"Do what?" he teased with a big smile.

"Creep up on me like that." Rachel turned back to her computer, but she had been snapped out of her working zone, so gave up with a frustrated sigh.

"Hey, want to go get some lunch?" Jake asked, turning her swivel chair so that Rachel was facing him. Rachel sighed.

"Oh, I really have to get this done. I'm sorry," she replied, her voice sounding deflated.

"Yes, but you also have to eat," Jake pushed, standing up and pulling her up by the arm. "Come on."

"Rach, there's a hot guy trying to whisk you away for a romantic lunch. Go," interrupted Libby as she came and leaned on the half-wall surrounding Rachel's desk.

"Come on then," Rachel gave in, reaching to grab her long-strapped handbag off the desk to the side of her, narrowly missing it as Jake's hand swooped into pick it up. Handing it to her, Jake proceeded to lead her quickly out of the office, an amused Libby looking on.

"What's up with you today?" questioned Rachel as Jake continued to gently hurry her out of the office.

"Just you wait and see."

_Later..._

By the time Jake and Rachel had reached their destination, Rachel was going out of her mind with wonder. Jake moved around the side of the car and opened the passenger side door, allowing Rachel to step out.

"Are you going to tell me where we are going?"

"You don't know?" teased Jake, avoiding actually answering her direct question. Rachel, who had just stepped out of the car, turned back to look at Jake as he shut the door, shooting him a 'would I have asked if I knew where we are going?' look.

"Then wait and see."

Jake continued leading Rachel over the grass.

"Are we nearly there yet?" whined Rachel, lifting her feet up quickly as her heels sunk into the grass with nearly every step. Jake laughed, his hands still on her shoulders.

"Alright, and here we are..."

"Where exactly?" Rachel asked, turning around to see exactly where 'here' was.

"The park," Jake said simply, a playful smirk on his face.

"This is the park where you were playing footy, not long after I first saw you," Rachel told him, to which Jake laughed.

"Yeah, about the same time you flashed us."

"Hey!" protested Rachel, her tone playful as she thumped his chest.

"Alright, alright," Jake backed down. "And that is why I brought you here."

"To remind me of my stripping days?" Rachel's tone was sarcastic.

"No, to ask you to marry me in one of the first places I saw you," smiled Jake with a laugh. Rachel's face changed, shock and surprise evident on her face. Jake noticed her look, unsure a to judge it as being a good or bad sign.

"I was considering doing it at 'that' road, you know, where you flashed us," Jake continued, attempting to lighten the mood.

"This is going to be a great way to remember how we got engaged," Rachel finally spoke up nervously. "I can picture it already when someone asks how you popped the question; 'Oh yeah, Jake talked a lot about how I bared myself to the world as our first meeting." Jake laughed. He broke his eyes away from Rachel, looking down as he reached into his pocket and pulled the black velvet box out. Rachel couldn't believe it as she watched him open the box, revealing a white gold ring with one large diamond, with a line of smaller diamonds on each side.

"Oh my god..."

"You just said something about remembering this proposal," Jake began, then paused, trying to take in Rachel's facial expression. "So is that a yes?" Rachel smiled, wondering how long to keep him hanging.

"Come on Rach, put me out of my misery," Jake pushed, half worried because of how long it was taking her to answer.

"When I first saw you, I never thought we'd get this far. I didn't think we'd ever have anything remotely related." Rachel paused, gazing up at Jake. He just watched her intently as she spoke. "But we did. And now, I get to spend the rest of my life with you."

"So that's a yes?" Jake asked, his face forming even more of a smile, again asking the question.

"Yes! Yes, I'll marry you!" Rachel almost squealed, jumping up towards him. Jake laughed and lifted her up. When he put her back down, he took her hand, sliding the ring onto her finger, Rachel smiling the entire time as she watched him.

"Now to tell the family."

_**There we have it for now. I know I sort of repeated the idea I had from last chapter but it's the best I could come up with. Would love to hear what you guys are thinking though...**_

_**P.S. In the promo for last night's episode of Rafters, there is a song playing in the background. Now, no one seems to be able to find out the name for it. Would love to know if any of you out there know what it's called. **_


	12. All Smiles

_**Alright, so I'm attempting to get this one finished off. Look how long it's already taken (Hovering around the year mark) and it's not even that long!**_

_**I have all of today off to relax and get ready for tonight, so I'm having a fan fic day in the sun. Fingers crossed it all goes well. And sorry in advance for the extra long details. Just couldn't help myself!**_

"I really can't believe this is happening," Rachel Rafter admitted openly. Sammy and Libby laughed, before Melissa came over to join them again, champagne in hand.

"Love has its ways," Sammy agreed.

"Yeah, but she hated me," Rachel replied, adjusting her necklace slightly. "Grace flat out hated me."

"Because she was having to let her boy go," said Libby, as if she were stating the obvious.

"Still can't believe I'm here though," repeated Rachel, looking at herself finally in the full length mirror. A year ago to the day he had proposed, Rachel was here marrying Jake, the man she thought she'd never have a future with. But somehow, just as Sammy had just said, love found a way.

Rachel was wearing a white, strapless dress with a diamante encrusted bodice, while the bottom half of the gown flowed freely. Her blonde hair was straight, with a little volume, and her make-up had been completed. She looked gorgeous.

Bridesmaids Libby, Melissa and Sammy were in light purple dresses, knee-high and strapless, with a gathered middle.

"Knock, knock," Julie called out as she and Dave stepped into the room. Little Ruby Rafter, who was now old enough to be able to walk, was holding one each of her parent's hands, wearing a light purple dress, to match the bridesmaids. Her mouse brown hair was it pigtails. "Oh darling, you look gorgeous! Are you nearly ready?"

"Um, yeah I think so," replied Rachel nervously with a smile, she flattened down the part of the dress near her hips. "Aww Ruby. You're not supposed to upstage your sister on her big day!" declared Rachel, reaching down to pick up the toddler who giggled. Rachel laughed along with her, as Dave and Julie watched the interactions between their two daughters.

With Ruby back down on the floor, standing back next to her mother, Rachel turned to her father, who she realised hadn't said anything.

"Dad? What do you think?" Rachel smiled, and picked up a piece of her dress to twirl a little.

"Like a princess," Dave eventually answered, the sight of his eldest daughter in a wedding dress making him the slight bit teary. "You look beautiful." Rachel smiled, before turning back to the mirror.

"Well, this is it!" she declared. "I'm ready."

"Hang on, tradition check," announced Libby. "Something old?"

"Ah, necklace. Was Gran's, then Mum's. Now mine," Rachel answered with the nod of her head, hands indicating the diamond drop necklace.

"Something blue?" chimed in Sammy.

"Garter," confirmed Rachel.

"Borrowed?" said Melissa next, getting in on the act.

"Mum's earrings," Rachel revealed as she pulled back her hair to the diamond earrings.

"And we'll cover the new," announced Dave, stepping forward with a white and silver, elegant box. He pulled open the box to reveal a small, dainty tiara. "For my princess." Rachel opened her mouth to say something but found herself unable. She was speechless. Dave simply smiled, stepping forward and placing it on her head. Rachel touched the tiara and allowed it to settle on her head, smiling at her parents.

"Thank you," Rachel finally managed, tears forming.

"No crying darling," Julie warned. "Mascara." Rachel laughed, hugging her Mum tightly, then her Dad.

"Shall we get this show on the road?" asked Dave. Rachel nodded. The bridesmaids picked up their pink frangipani flower bunches, set out neatly on the table by the window. Sammy handed a small bunch to Ruby, giving her a smile.

"Let's go!" said Libby excitedly.

"Just give me a second," said Rachel. "You guys head down to the cars." They nodded before the bridesmaids, flower girl Ruby and Julie stepped out of the suite. Dave remained, waiting for Rachel.

"You want a minute too?" he asked, watching as Rachel looked yet again in the mirror.

"No," replied Rachel. "It's okay."

"You nervous?" asked Dave knowingly.

"No," answered Rachel. "Yes." Dave laughed. There was another knock at the door, and Melissa stuck her head back in the door.

"Grace is here. Should I let her in?" Rachel nodded in reply, as Melissa opened the door more to allow Grace back in. She closed the door behind her.

"You look beautiful Rachel," Grace smiled, stepping over further. Dave stepped towards the window, allowing them some space. "It's nearly time."

"It's nearly time," repeated Rachel. "Grace, thank you."

"I haven't done anything," she simply replied.

"For Jake," said Rachel. "For giving me a chance." Grace stared at Rachel, before smiling and nodding. She held her arms out and gave her soon-to-be daughter-in-law a hug. As she thought back to when she and Jake had first announced their engagement to Grace, Rachel laughed silently at her own reaction.

"_We're engaged!" Jake announced to Grace. Grace didn't say anything, and Rachel couldn't work out what she was thinking. _

"_Congratulations," Grace eventually said, stepping over to hug her son, then Rachel. Rachel stood stunned, shocked by Grace's reaction. Sure, things had improved between herself and Grace in recent months. But still, she was surprised. _

"_I didn't think he'd get the courage up to ask," laughed Grace, patting her son on the shoulder. "But I'm happy he did. Congratulations." Rachel didn't know what to say._

"You're a good person Rachel," said Grace over Rachel's shoulder. "I'm glad you're joining our family."

"And I'm glad you're joining ours," added Rachel as they drew back. Dave had watched the whole encounter, smiling to himself before he walked back to join them.

"Should we get you going?" he asked. Grace and Rachel both nodded. Rachel took her father's arm, and they left the room.

_**Outside church**_

Jake was waiting, not so patiently, outside the church in which he and Rachel were to be married. Alex and Camel were standing on his right side, while Ben, Carbo and Nathan were on the other.

"I wish she'd hurry up..." muttered Jake. Nathan heard the words, prompting him to glance down at his watch.

"There's still five minutes before she's meant to be here," he told the nervous groom with a laugh.

"And then she'll probably still be late anyways." Jake turned to look at Camel.

"Not helping," said Jake.

"It's tradition!" Carbo added. Jake threw back his head, attempting to ignore them all. A car pulled up. The driver climbed out to open the door to reveal the mother's of the bride and groom, and the flower girl. Grace stepped out first, brushing down her outfit, smiling as she saw her son's waiting. She turned back as Ruby took her turn at stepping out, offering her hand if the little girl wanted which she did. Julie then stepped out, taking Ruby's other hand and the mother's walked towards the waiting line.

Julie walked along to see her boys, while Jake left his groomsmen to see his Mum. Alex followed him over.

"You look good Mum," Jake told her as he wrapped her in a hug.

"So do you darling," Grace replied, fixing the collar of his suit. "You both do," she amended, looking at her son's standing side by side.

"How far away is she?" Jake finally asked. He knew his mother had been to see Rachel at the hotel just before.

"The bridesmaids were getting in when Julie and I left. I believe Dave and Rachel were behind them." Jake nodded, breathing out.

"You've got nothing to be nervous about," Grace told him, patting his cheek.

With Jake now back to waiting out the front of the church with his groomsmen, he knew that the five minutes Nathan had told him about before had surely passed.

"How late?" Ben and Nathan both turned to face him.

"Ten minutes," Nathan finally had to say. Jake took a deep breath.

_**Limousine, driving**_

Meanwhile, in the white limousine a little way away, Rachel and Dave were on their way.

"Have we done enough laps now Dad?" asked Rachel. "Surely I'm late by now."

"Twelve minutes. That'll do," said Dave with a cheeky grin and a glance at his watch. He leant forward to talk to the driver. "We can head there now." The driver, watching through the rear view mirror nodded while Dave turned back. "Your mum told me you had to be late. So did Sammy."

"Tradition," replied Rachel sarcastically.

"I wasn't going to argue with those two about traditions to keep. Scary women they can be," defended Dave.

"Wuss." Dave scoffed. Rachel relaxed deeper into her seat and took a deep breath.

_**Outside church**_

Jake looked up straight away as he saw another limousine pull up. He sighed slightly at realising it wasn't Rachel. A driver opened up the door, and Melissa stepped out. Ben smiled at seeing his wife; she looked beautiful. Libby was next out, followed by Sammy. As the driver shut the door and prepared to move the car to make room, the girls headed towards the boys.

"She's coming," Melissa immediately said when she joined them, hugging her husband.

"I never asked!" Jake threw up his hands.

"But you were going to," Libby retorted. "And trust me, she looks hot."

"Oh, seriously," added Sammy, before laughing. Standing next to Nathan, he leant forwards to give her a kiss before she put her hand up. "Lipstick!" He shook his head, putting his arm around her waist.

After what felt like an eternity, the final limousine pulled up. As the driver went to go around and open the door, the bridal party began to move.

"Get him inside," Sammy told the boys before she went to move towards the limousine. Camel pushed Jake towards the church, as he turned around to catch a glimpse of his partner. Unfortunately for him, he missed it as Carbo pushed him in.

"You can see her after," declared Alex.

The girls had joined at the limousine as Dave stepped out. He offered his hand inside and Rachel took the hand, stepping out. Julie smiled again, as did Grace, before they left to the inside of the church together to take their seats. Ruby was holding Melissa and Sammy's hands.

"I'm so nervous," Rachel admitted, her laugh nervous.

"Don't be! This is everything you wanted," Melissa told her.

"Come on," said Dave, stepping forward as Rachel linked her arm in this. She took a deep breath.

"Let's do this."

_**Inside church**_

Jake was standing next to the celebrant , his groomsmen lined up on the other side. Julie and Grace were sitting next to each other in the front row, waiting. The couple's family and friends were in the other rows, leading right back. The doors opened and everyone looked back, or forward in the bridal party's case.

Ruby walked in first, holding Melissa's hand. Ben smiled and watched his wife walk down with the little girl.

Libby came through next, walking steadily up with her pink frangipani bouquet out in front.

There was a slight pause before Sammy entered, given she'd stopped to hug a nervous Rachel in the entrance. She stepped through the doors, spotting the bridal party smiling and waiting, before smiling and looking lovingly at Nathan.

Everyone stood as Rachel and Dave stepped through. Rachel's own bouquet of frangipanis were traditional yellow and white, and she held them in her right hand. Her left was linked with her father.

As they took the steps down the aisle, Dave smiled proudly as he lead his 'princess' down the aisle. He'd always known this day was coming. But he was amazed at how time had flown.

Rachel smiled and glanced at the people watching her descent down the red carpeted aisle. Finally she looked at Jake, locking glances and smiled even more. His face matched hers.

Rachel only broke her gaze with Jake to glance at their mother's in the front aisle. Melissa had stopped to let Ruby sit with the mother's before taking her place, and Ruby was currently sitting closest to Rachel's edge. Julie was sitting next to Ruby, and Grace was on Julie's other side. They both looked thrilled.

Finally, stepping carefully up the step, Dave kissed his daughter's cheek. Rachel had opted not to wear a vale, it being one tradition she had canned. Then he looked up at Jake and nodded, before stepping down to sit in the front row. He sat on the other side of Ruby.

Rachel reached out and took Jake's waiting hands, looking at him one more time, before they both turned to the celebrant and the proceedings started. No one stood when it came to the objections, much to Rachel's delight. And then it came to the vows. Jake was asked to recite his first.

"Rachel, today I take you as my wife. I promise to love you, whether in good times or in bad. In sickness and in health. If you look back to how we met, I never would have thought we'd make it anywhere near marriage. Yet here we are. Complete opposites, yet so meant to be together. We can never be sure where life will take us, but I know that I can't wait to find out with you by my side."

The celebrant then called for Rachel to read hers.

"Jake, today I take you as my husband. I love you and you mean everything to me. Today, I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you, and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle. I promise to love you in good times and in bad, when life seems simple and when it seems hard. When our love is seems easy, and when it is an effort. I promise to cherish you, and to hold you in the highest regard. As you said, rewind to when we met, I never would have predicted we'd make it this far. But, thankfully we have. We've overcome every obstacle and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you by my side."

Grace, Julie and Dave watched as Rachel finished her vows, all smiling equally big. That pretty much accounted for everyone else in the church also, the bridesmaids and groomsman watching intently.

"Jake and Rachel, with the exchange of rings, you are acknowledging your love for each other," the celebrant announced. "If we could have the rings." Nathan stepped forward to hand them over. Jake didn't have an official 'best man' but Nathan had been the smartest choice to hold onto them for safe keeping; he was unlikely to lose the rings.

"Rachel, I give you this ring as a symbol of my undying love for you," Jake said, looking down into Rachel's eyes as he slid on the ring. Rachel's ring was to match her engagement ring; a band of diamonds. After smiling at him, Rachel accepted the ring from Nathan, as he took his place back in the line.

"Jake, I give you this ring as a symbol of my undying love for you," Rachel recited, sliding the white gold band onto Jake's finger, her engagement ring on the opposite hand catching the light as she did so.

"Friends, family and everyone gathered here today. I am very happy to announce Jake and Rachel husband and wife," declared the celebrant. "Jake, you may kiss your bride." And he did just that.

The gathered people to watch stood and clapped. As they drew apart, Jake and Rachel gave each other one big smile, before the stepped forward to their bridal party. Jake was shaking the hands of his groomsmen, Rachel kissing her bridesmaids cheeks. They swapped, Jake hugging the bridesmaids and Rachel with the groomsmen.

They came back together in front of their friends and family, both looking down at Rachel's parents and Jake's mother. And the smiles on all three of their faces said it all; they could not be happier.

_**And there we have it! Hey presto. **_

_**Thank you must go to everyone that reviewed. Cannot even begin to say how thankful I am that people enjoyed reading it. **_

_**Yes, this story took ages. And it's no secret that I had a really difficult time with updating this. But I appreciate all the support my readers showed me. Thank you so much. As for why a wedding, it just seemed the best place to sum it all up. **_

_**Again, thank you. Especially to quonoeye and aussiebabe290. xx**_


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